The Uniform Guidance

2 CFR 200

March 2015

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Increase in Federal Grants Activity

$7B $24B

$91B

$200B

$600B

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance lists over 2,000 Federal grant programs

3

Council On Financial Assistance Reform Priorities

Guidance Targets Risk & Minimizes

Burden

Standardized Business

Processes & Data

Well Trained Workforce

Strong Program Oversight:

Audit Resolution

Better Outcomes for Grants

Evidence Spending

Transparency

Shared Services

Financial Management

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Guidance Reform History

Nov. 2009: Executive

Order: Reduce

Improper Payments

Feb 2011: Presidential

Memo: Reduce

Administrative Burden

Feb 2012: Advance Notice of Proposed Guidance

(public comments)

Feb 2013: Notice of Proposed Guidance

(public comments)

Dec 2013: Final

Uniform Guidance

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December 2013:

Uniform Guidance Published

January-April 2014: Training

Webcasts, Publish 2014 Single Audit

Compliance Supplement

June 2014: Agencies Submit

Draft Rules to OMB, Continued

Outreach on Implementation

December 2014: Final Guidance Effective, Begin

collecting metrics, gathering case

studies

Guidance Reform Implementation

Fall 2014: Metrics, Additional FAQs and Webcast

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So – What‘s new now that we have the Uniform

Guidance?

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Eliminating Duplicative and Conflicting Guidance

Awards

Received

• A-102 & A-89

• A-87

• A-133 &A-50

Subawards to

universities

• A-110

• A-21

Subawards to

nonprofits

• A-110

• A-122

INSERT YOUR STATE OR AGENCY

HERE

Now: All guidance streamlined in 2 CFR 200 – 75% reduction

Then:

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Key Policy Reforms

1. Eliminating conflicting and duplicative guidance

2. Performance over compliance

3. Efficient use of technology and shared services

4. Consistent and transparent treatment of (appropriately limited) costs.

5. Setting standard business processes and data definitions

6. Encouraging family friendly policies

7. Strengthening oversight

8. Targeting waste, fraud, and abuse

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Is there anything that I will recognize in the Uniform Guidance?

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2 CFR 200 -Basic Layout

• 6 Subparts A through F

– Subpart A, 200.XX – Acronyms & Definitions

– Subpart B, 200.1XX – General

– Subpart C, 200.2XX – Pre Award Subpart D, 200.3XX – Post Award Subpart E, 200.4XX – Cost Principles

– Subpart F, 200.5XX – Audit

• 11 Appendices - I through XI

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Sec. 200.XX, Acronyms & Definitions

• 200.0, Acronyms

• 200.1 through 200-99, Definitions

– 99 separate sections and indexes

– Applicable to all requirements (administrative, cost and audit) and all types of grantees

• Use of “should” and “must”

– Should = best practices or recommended approach

– Must = required

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Sec. 200. 1XX, General

• 200.101, Applicability

– Table for applicability by types of award

– T&C flow down to subrecipients

• 200.102 Exceptions

– M-13-17 – Waivers for innovative evidence-based programs

• 200.110 Effective Date

– Agency implementation effective 12/26/14

– Apply to awards and award increments issued after 12/26/14

– Apply to audits for FY beginning after 12/26/14

• 200.112, Conflict of interest

– Federal agencies must establish policies

– Non-Federal entities must disclose in writing any potential

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Sec. 200.2XX, Pre-Award- Federal

• 200.201, Grant agreements

– Fixed amount awards are allowed –

• 200.203, Notice of funding opportunities

• 200.204, Merit review of proposals –

– Must have a merit review process

– Process must be transparent in funding opportunities

• 200.205, Review of risk of applicants

– Must have framework for evaluating risks

– May consider financial stability, performance history, audit reports

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Sec. 200.3XX, Post- Award- Non-Federal entities

• 200.301, Performance Management –

– Use standard forms (e.g., RPPR for research awards)

– Must relate financial data to performance

– Feds are to provide clear performance goals, indicators and milestones

• 200.303, Internal Controls

– Should follow GAO’s Green Book and COSO standards

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Sec. 200.3XX, Post- Award- Non-Federal entities

• 200.313, Equipment

– Property standards (States versus other grantees)

• 200.314, Supplies

– Computing devices (<$5K) are included as “supplies”

• 200.320, Procurement Standards – NEW for universities and Non Profits

– Modeled after A-102: State uses own policies, Others uses procurement standards in sections 200.317 -326

– The Procurement “Bear Claw”

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1. Micro-

Purchases

2.

Small

Purchases

3.

Sealed

Bids

4.

Competitive

Proposals

5.

Sole

Source

General Standards:

A. Documented Policies

B. Necessary

C. Full & Open Competition

D. Conflict of Interest

E. Documentation

i. Cost & Price Analysis

ii. Vendor Selection

Procurement “Claw” (Sections 200.317-326)

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1.

Micro

Purchases

2.

Small

Purchases

3.

Sealed

Bids

4. Competitive

Proposals

5.

Sole

Source

• $3K

• No quotations

• Equitable distributions

• Up to $150K • Rate quotations • No cost or price --analysis

• > $150K • Construction ------projects • Price is a major ---factor

• > $150K • Fixed price or cost ---reimbursement • RFP with evaluation methods

• Unique • Public emergency • Authorized by agency (or PTE) • No competition

Procurement “Claw” (Section 200.320)

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Sec. 200.3XX, Post-Award- Non-Federal entities

200.331, Requirements for pass-through entities

• Includes audit responsibilities (formerly in A-133)

• Pass-through entities responsibilities:

– Provide subaward information

– Provide indirect cost rate

– Perform risk assessment for subrecipent monitoring

– Verify compliance to audit requirements

– Report in accordance to FFATA

• 200.343 Closeout

– 90 days to submit reports, 1 year to closeout

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Sec. 200.4XX, Cost principles

• 200.407, Prior Written Approval – 22 items of cost

• 200.413, Direct costs – Paragraph (c) - Administrative salaries can be direct costs

– 200.414, Indirect (F&A) Costs – Must accept approved negotiated rates, except

• Allowed by Federal statute or regulation

• Approved by agency head or delegate, OMB notified of deviations

– 10% of MTDC de minimis IDC • First timers and new grantees only

• Can be used indefinitely

– One time four-year extension of current approved rate (final and pre-determined rates only)

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Sec. 200.4XX, Cost principles

• 200.430, Compensation – personal services – Removed A-21 examples – Charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be

based on records that accurately reflect the work performed.

– Internal controls are KEY

– Substitute systems are allowed (430 (i) (5))

– Blended and braided funds allowed, with Fed approval (430 (i) (7))

– Use of institutional base salary for IHE

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Sec. 200.4XX, Cost principles

• 200.431, Compensation – Fringe Benefits

– Family friendly leave

• 200.432, Conferences – Costs are appropriate, necessary and minimized to

the Federal award

– Allow costs for finding local dependent care

• 200.446, Idle Facilities and Capacity

– Necessary due to fluctuations in workload, e.g., shared services arrangements

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Sec. 200.4XX, Cost principles

• 200.449, Interest

– Section (b)(2), allow financing costs associated with patents and computer software – effective January 1, 2016

• 200.453, Materials and Supplies

– Aligned with administrative requirements 200.314

– Include computing devices (defined in 200.20)

• 200.474, Travel

– Dependent care costs allowable (temporary due to travel)

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Sec. 200.5XX, Audit Requirements

The final guidance right-sizes the footprint of oversight and Single Audit requirements to strengthen oversight and focus audits where there is greatest risk of waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. It improves transparency and accountability by making single audit reports available to the public online, and encourages Federal agencies to take a more cooperative approach to audit resolution in order to more conclusively resolve underlying weaknesses in internal controls.

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Sec. 200.5XX, Audit Requirements 24

• Revisions Focus Audit On Risk – Increases audit threshold

• $500,000 to $750,000 – maintain 99% coverage

– Strengthens risk-based approach to determine Major Programs

– Provides for greater transparency of audit results • Audit reports online

– Strengthens agency use of the single audit process • Senior accountable official, management liaison

• Metrics

• Cooperative Audit Resolution

– Provides for public outreach to focus Compliance Supplement on requirements of highest risk

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Sec. 200.5XX, Audit Requirements

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Basic Structure of Single Audit Process Unchanged

• Audit threshold (200.501)

• Subrecipient vs. Contractor (200.501(f) & 200.330)

• Biennial (200.504) & Program-specific (200.507) audits

• Non-Federal entity selects auditor (200.509)

• Auditee prepares financial statements & SEFA(200.510)

• Major programs determined based on risk (200.518)

• Audit follow-up & corrective action(200.511 & 200.521)

• 9 month due date (set in law) (200.512(a))

• Reporting to Federal Audit Clearinghouse (200.512)

• Compliance Supplement overall format (Appendix XI)

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Agency Implementation

• Adopted by 28 Federal awarding agencies on December 19, 2014

• Agency implementation regulations available in 2 CFR

• Effective for awards issued on or after December 26, 2014

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Interim Final Rule Comments

• Joint interim final rule comments were due February 17, 2015

• OMB is in the process of reviewing comments in coordination with Federal awarding agencies

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Metrics

• OMB Memorandum M-14-17 requests non-Federal stakeholder feedback on the overall impact on burden and waste, fraud, and abuse

• The Council on Financial Assistance Reform (COFAR) and OMB is currently accepting feedback on the COFAR website

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Resources

• The COFAR website is available at: https://cfo.gov/cofar/

• Includes:

– FAQs

– Webcasts

– Crosswalk to agency exceptions and additions

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Thank You!

Questions?